Solve : choosing slide show software?

1.	Solve : choosing slide show software?
Answer» This is my first posting. I need suggestions from users as to the best and most versatile slide show software. What I want to do is take about a thousand of my photos and arrange them into a slide show that can then be burned onto a DVD for viewing on a standard television screen. I have tried several, such as PowerPoint, Roxio, and Wondershare, and all were inadequate to my needs in some regard. Perhaps someone on this web site can direct me to a slide show software that will FIT my needs. I'm using a Dell Inspiron 530 desktop with Windows Vista. I prepare my photos in Adobe Elements 6, so the usual "themes" and "templates" in slide show software are unnecessary. (I'm not planning on adding music or narration either.) I just want the photos to be front and center on their own. I'll list below what I need in the software, and hope someone will know of a program that will match them: 1. As noted, it must work with Vista. 2. It must have a large capacity for photos, at least 700 at a time, more would be better. 3. The software must give me the option of assigning a duration time and transition effect to each individual photo. Too many programs offer "randomized" effects, or "automatic" and "apply to all" production, and I need more personal control of the images than that. 4. It must be able to be burned onto a DVD for television viewing. Before I began my software search, I ASSUMED those would be pretty standard options, but I was wrong. And a lot of software boxes, and websites, don't provide enough detailed information. Does anyone have a suggestion about what software to try next? Thanks.Can I ask what was inadequate about the other programmes? Bit more specific about what your needs are please fella. Cheers.Quote from: Mulreay on April 08, 2009, 07:18:50 AM Can I ask what was inadequate about the other programmes? Bit more specific about what your needs are please fella. Cheers. Point #3 seems to give some specifics: 3. The software must give me the option of assigning a duration time and transition effect to each individual photo. Too many programs offer "randomized" effects, or "automatic" and "apply to all" production, and I need more personal control of the images than that.Sorry my bad.Forums are new to me, so if I was inadequate in my slide show requirements, I'm sorry. I assumed it would be understood that those software programs I listed simply did not fit one or more of the needs listed. I'll try to elaborate: PowerPower is geared more to business and school lecture presentations requiring the use of their pre-designed templates. It wouldn't (or I couldn't get it to) simply show one photo after another but needed the photos placed on its "slides." That wasn't the effect I wanted. The Roxio software (it was "My DVD Video Lab 10") promised "stunning slideshows" on the box, but it turned out to be geared to making them automatically rather than giving the user total control of each photo (and only had a minimum screen time of 2 seconds when 1 second would suit me best). Wondershare came very close--but while transition effects in their preview screen looked smooth, when applied to the slide show the effects were far from smooth. Sometimes, Picture B would be fully on screen before Picture A was gone, then A would suddenly cut out rather than fade away, for example. There is a Corel slide show program that sounded great, until I read that it is not Vista compatible, with no plans to make it so. So MUCH for that one. I'm beginning to think it's hopeless. But thanks for reading my message.

Answer»

This is my first posting. I need suggestions from users as to the best and most versatile slide show software. What I want to do is take about a thousand of my photos and arrange them into a slide show that can then be burned onto a DVD for viewing on a standard television screen. I have tried several, such as PowerPoint, Roxio, and Wondershare, and all were inadequate to my needs in some regard. Perhaps someone on this web site can direct me to a slide show software that will FIT my needs.

I'm using a Dell Inspiron 530 desktop with Windows Vista. I prepare my photos in Adobe Elements 6, so the usual "themes" and "templates" in slide show software are unnecessary. (I'm not planning on adding music or narration either.) I just want the photos to be front and center on their own. I'll list below what I need in the software, and hope someone will know of a program that will match them:

1. As noted, it must work with Vista.
2. It must have a large capacity for photos, at least 700 at a time, more would be better.
3. The software must give me the option of assigning a duration time and transition effect to each individual photo. Too many programs offer "randomized" effects, or "automatic" and "apply to all" production, and I need more personal control of the images than that.
4. It must be able to be burned onto a DVD for television viewing.

Before I began my software search, I ASSUMED those would be pretty standard options, but I was wrong. And a lot of software boxes, and websites, don't provide enough detailed information. Does anyone have a suggestion about what software to try next? Thanks.Can I ask what was inadequate about the other programmes? Bit more specific about what your needs are please fella. Cheers.Quote from: Mulreay on April 08, 2009, 07:18:50 AM

Can I ask what was inadequate about the other programmes? Bit more specific about what your needs are please fella. Cheers.

Point #3 seems to give some specifics:
3. The software must give me the option of assigning a duration time and transition effect to each individual photo. Too many programs offer "randomized" effects, or "automatic" and "apply to all" production, and I need more personal control of the images than that.Sorry my bad.Forums are new to me, so if I was inadequate in my slide show requirements, I'm sorry. I assumed it would be understood that those software programs I listed simply did not fit one or more of the needs listed. I'll try to elaborate:

PowerPower is geared more to business and school lecture presentations requiring the use of their pre-designed templates. It wouldn't (or I couldn't get it to) simply show one photo after another but needed the photos placed on its "slides." That wasn't the effect I wanted.

The Roxio software (it was "My DVD Video Lab 10") promised "stunning slideshows" on the box, but it turned out to be geared to making them automatically rather than giving the user total control of each photo (and only had a minimum screen time of 2 seconds when 1 second would suit me best).

Wondershare came very close--but while transition effects in their preview screen looked smooth, when applied to the slide show the effects were far from smooth. Sometimes, Picture B would be fully on screen before Picture A was gone, then A would suddenly cut out rather than fade away, for example.

There is a Corel slide show program that sounded great, until I read that it is not Vista compatible, with no plans to make it so. So MUCH for that one.

I'm beginning to think it's hopeless. But thanks for reading my message.

Solve : choosing slide show software?

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